Carmen Graciela Díaz's Blog

A blog post published by the Wallace Foundation explains "Five Things State and District Leaders Need to Know Now" about the American Rescue Plan, the federal government’s third major COVID-19 relief bill that "provides nearly $2 trillion to support the nation’s efforts to reopen and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Included is more than $126 billion for K-12 schools and additional funding for early childhood and higher education."

A new toolkit, "The Arts Organizations at a Crossroads Toolkit: Managing transitions and preserving assets," published by the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER), seeks to guide arts leaders through significant transitions they are likely to face during their organization’s life: structural shifts, loss of key staff/leadership, and creation of artistic and physical assets which deserve preserving.

A Hyperallergic article discusses how Julia Weist, one of four 2019–2020 New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs's Public Artists in Residence, was paired with the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) and in doing so, "she dedicated herself to parsing the relationship between the city and its artists as documented in these vast municipal archives."

A recent article in Next City discusses how residents of Grand Marais, Minnesota "faced the loss of their only major highway due to necessary but disruptive construction" and how "seeking ways to support the residents during this disruptive process, the local government brought in artist Amanda Lovelee to turn the project into something productive for the community.

As Next City writes, "while the idea of scientists collaborating with musicians to create climate science-inspired music may initially sound surprising, it’s actually a very logical approach to solving a pernicious problem. If science doesn’t move people to action, maybe music will."

In a recent piece published by The Women’s Foundation California, Meredith Youngblood has a conversation with two members of the Ruth McGuire Legacy Circle on how they "practically and emotionally invested in a feminist future" and why they chose to write Women’s Foundation California into their wills.

For the month of September, GIA’s photo banner features work supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ).

Upstart Co-Lab released "The Guide: what cultural institutions need to know about investing for values and mission" as a primer on impact investing specifically for leaders of museums and other cultural institutions.

In a recent article, Next City tackled the concept of third places and "the importance of public space, separate from home or work, designed by and for Black people."

The National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response (NCAPER)'s Field Guide aims to "demystify federal disaster relief for the arts and culture sector; it aims to help artists and organizations see what’s available, understand clearly what isn’t available, and decide if pursuing federal aid is a good use of time."